Cataract
A cataract is clouding of the lens of the eye, which impedes the passage of light. The exact cause of cataracts is unknown. Aging may play a role, but the condition also occurs in some newborns whose mothers contracted German measles during pregnancy. Diabetes, glaucoma, and detachment of the retina, injury to the lens, prolonged use of certain drugs (including steroidal drugs such as prednisone), and high doses of radiation (for example, from prolonged exposure to X-rays) may also trigger the condition. Other risk factors include cigarette smoke, air pollution and heavy alcohol consumption.
The main symptom of cataracts is painless blurring of vision, occurring most often in only one eye. During the initial stages of development, cataracts can cause the person to experience glare in bright light, since the clouded lens scatters, rather than focuses, incoming light. As the condition progresses, the lens becomes milky white, and vision continues to worsen.
When symptoms begin to appear, you may be able to improve your vision for a while using new glasses, strong bifocals, magnification, appropriate lighting or other visual aids.
Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision.
Cataract surgery is very successful in restoring vision. In fact, it is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States, with more than 3 million Americans undergoing cataract surgery each year. Nine out of 10 people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.
During surgery, the surgeon will remove the clouded lens and in most cases replace it with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL). New IOLs are being developed all the time to make the surgery less complicated for surgeons and the lenses more helpful to patients.
In the vast majority of cases, surgery for cataracts is without complications. Restoration or substantial improvement of vision usually results after surgery. If vision remains unimproved, a disorder that was not detected due to the presence of the cataract may be the cause.